Hit the Landing for "Pink Week"

The facts about breast cancer are dark: According to the American Cancer Society's "Cancer Facts & Figures 2005," one in seven women will develop the cancer in her lifetime, it is the second-leading cause of cancer deaths in women, and more than 200,000 new cases will be diagnosed this year. But there is good news -- there's a rally against breast cancer, and that effort is pink.

Starting Monday, June 13, and continuing through June 19, Laclede's Landing commemorates "Pink Week" with pink chalk art, trees bedecked with pink lights and pink ribbons wrapped around light poles and in windows. If you can't make it to Race for the Cure on June 18 (www.komenstlouis.org), you can still contribute to the cause. In fact, you can make a day of it on the Landing: Shop at Doctor John's, have happy hour at Morgan Street Brewery or Sundecker's Bar & Grill, dine at Jake's Steaks, and spend the night at the Embassy Suites Hotel St. Louis-Downtown (you'll know it by the 50-foot ribbon hanging on the building's side; plus, asking for the "pink rate" will get you a discounted room any night this week). These and other businesses will donate part of their net sales to the St. Louis affiliate of the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation.

The whole week is a reminder that even a devastating disease can be brightened by lots of hope, participation and, of course, a healthy dose of pink. Check out www.lacledeslanding.org for "Pink Week" participants' addresses and more information. -- Kristie McClanahan

Bounty of Pez Pez collectors convene

Oh, little Pez Boba Fett, you are our role model for this year's Pez Collectors Convention (Wednesday through Saturday, June 8 through 11). A bounty hunter, seeking out prime targets for the ultimate Pez display! This year's con features seminars on restoring and repairing damaged Pezes, but there's no need for repair when you take the prey cleanly. And the main event, the 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. show and sale of Pez items on Saturday (admission is $5), offers many outstanding targets for the canny (and flush with cash) seeker. This year's happy hunting ground is the St. Louis Marriott West (660 Maryville Centre Drive, Creve Coeur; www.pezconvention.com), and only one shall leave with that Bullwinkle Pez dispenser! (Unless more than one are available; then many shall go home happy.) -- Paul Friswold

The CWE Is the Place to Be For art, food and fun

Our amateur foray into creating a singular taste of the Central West End was a disaster. Turns out that putting Café Balaban's succulent roast duckling between two fluffy pancakes from the Majestic and dousing the whole thing in Dressel's amazing Welsh rarebit isn't the greatest gastronomic idea. To get the best of the CWE without resorting to such measures, make haste to the eleventh annual Central West End Art Fair & Taste. The event (presented by the RFT) is jam-packed with delish foods from 50 eateries, artists selling everything from photographs to jewelry and performers (including the always-fun Hudson & the Hoo Doo Cats and the sultry Desert Moon Dancers). The fair runs along North Euclid (from Lindell Boulevard to McPherson Avenue) and Maryland avenues from 10 a.m. to midnight Saturday and from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday (June 11 and 12). Admission is free; visit www.thecwe.com for the performance schedule and a list of participating artists. -- Brooke Foster

4x4xFun

SAT 6/11

Not everyone in a four-wheel-drive vehicle pampers it like a trust-fund baby. Some folks drive 'em, you know, off road. The Midwest Jeep Thing (www.midwestjeepthing.com) celebrates the nimbleness and ruggedness of the all-American Jeep with contests (including a Ramp Travel Index and Reverse Steer Course) from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Stratford Bar & Grill (800 South Highway Drive, Fenton). Prizes are awarded for Best in Show, People's Choice and the Pig Pen (for the dirtiest Jeep). It's $20 to enter your Jeep if you think it has what it takes to hang with the dirty dogs, or free to watch. -- Paul Friswold